Obesity has reached epidemic status in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control has stated that more than ⅓ of American adults are obese, and estimated the medical costs attributable to obesity at $147 billion in 2008, a number that is likely to be significantly higher today and in the future. One of the core components of obesity-induced metabolic syndrome is excess plasma triglycerides. Elevated plasma triglyceride level, or hypertriglyceridemia, is an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease, above and beyond other obesity-related complications (e.g., high LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol and Type 2 Diabetes). Many patients are unable to get to plasma triglyceride targets with currently available therapies.
Thus, new therapies for reducing plasma triglycerides are needed.